E-commerce

Under Tata, BigBasket readies super-app, instant delivery

Aditi Shrivastava

January 04, 2022 | 9 Min Read

Months after being acquired by Tata, the grocery player is bringing all its offerings under one digital roof as it looks to double gross sales. It also plans to tie up with 1MG for healthcare and work closely with other subsidiaries of the conglomerate

When Hari Menon founded online grocery store BigBasket in 2011, he took a very conventional approach to building a new-economy business. He ploughed in treasure and time to create company warehouses, sourcing facilities and order fulfilment centres, an asset-heavy model that many rated as unsustainable.

Menon felt vindicated as BigBasket became the leader in the tough e-grocery market, withstanding several rounds of competition from well-funded players. The biggest form of validation came in May last year when Tata bought a 64% stake, valuing the company at $2 billion. The sceptics now agree that BigBasket’s value chain propelled it this far.

Tata’s backing changes a great deal for BigBasket, giving Menon the latitude to make bolder bets such as instant delivery and offline retail expansion. He is already giving touches to a super-app — the singular point for an array of services.

“We don’t want to miss out on any game,” the 59-year-old CEO told The CapTable.

His eagerness to expand chimes with the upswing in the grocery sector, with online ordering expected to take a larger slice of the overall retail market.

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